Antidote for False Teaching - 2 Corinthians 4-5

 2 Corinthians 5:11 (ESV)

The Ministry of Reconciliation

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.

Paul is writing to the church at Corinth, again, to continue to spur them onto to holiness, but also, regretfully, to defend his ministry.  There were false teachers who had entered the church and were attempting to diminish Paul’s influence on the church’s direction, but also demonize Paul himself.   All of this book is written with that theme in mind.   He has just finished, in chapter four, explaining to the church the reason for his ministry.  He is telling them that the god of this world has blinded the eyes of the unbeliever and it is his role, in the Body, to provide truth to make sure the Saints are not equally blinded.   That is the point of the above verse.  He does not want them lead astray to follow doctrine not based upon truth.  This is what motivates him.  He is motivated by the “fear of the Lord.”    We wants to “persuade” others to make sure they are not blinded by these false teachers.  Notice how differently this Greek word is translated in our English Bible:

Translated as persuade 22x, trust 8x, obey 7x, have confidence 6x, believe 3x, be confident 2x, misc 7x

The point Paul is trying to make is that he is going to go to any extreme to make sure they are not following false teaching, but rather the Gospel, has he first presented it them.   The antidote for false teaching is truth, motivated by the fear of the Lord.